When You Need Me
by alimination602
Summary: Returning due to popular demand here is the sequel to 'Wake Me' entitled 'When you Need Me'.
1. Chapter 1 When You Need Me

Chapter 1- When you need me

The derelict ship had been floating out in space for what felt like eternity. But upon checking the chrono Sakura discovered it had in fact been less than a few hours. But to her it might as well have been a millennium- her systems were usually distracted, encapsulated in the thousands of processes necessary too keep the Dawn running. However now that the ship had been disabled the only thing required of her was to ensure that the power didn't give out from underneath her- but to her that was the biological equivalent of a human remembering to breathe.

It left her conscious 'mind' un-distracted- unfocused. She wasted away her time staring aimlessly into the sea of random dots of light spotted across the darkened sky. Another form crackled to life on the holo-projector beside her- the projector being designed solely for one avatar the characters were nearly smashed together- their forms flickering and sparking as the collided with one another.

"I just finished checking over the ships remaining systems" Cortana stared out across the same stars, but she failed to see what was so encapsulating about them. "It looks as though the arbiter was on the bridge when the slipspace hole closed- I don't know whether he survived or where he may have ended up" Cortana remained silent for a few moments.

Sakura broke the silence "I'm afraid that the power systems won't last more than a few more days, a week at most. I'm afraid we won't survive long after that"

Cortana didn't seemed phased by the idea "That's not what I'm concerned about" Sakura seemed rather perplexed, but then she remembered the frozen hulk that had startled her when she had first emerged here.

"Your worried about your soldier?" Sakura spoke with serene sympathy.

She nodded lightly "We are designed too be extendable" Cortana planted her hand against the cryo tube. "But he's alive. A human" She turned back towards the cool exterior out past the armoured walls surrounding them. "We were deigned to 'live' for less than 6-7 years before we die. But he's a living being- he survives a hundred battles, taking down on opposition numbering thousands and limitless strength and he gets taken down by the cold of space"

Sakura began too see the harsh reality of the situation they now faced- the truth that this could be their final moments. It was harsh but true- she just had to accept that.

Sakura was suddenly shaken from her thoughts. She was thrown against Cortana- the two of them landing harshly onto the projectors base. "What happened?" Sakura pleaded for an answer. The entire ship was shaking beneath them. Sakura and Cortana pulled themselves onto their feet. With the loss of the majority of the ships primary sensors they relied totally on what they glimpsed from outside the scarred viewpoint leading out from the cryobay. They both expected too see a Covenant fleet massed- their turrets primed to destroy the derelict with barely a stutter. But instead they saw something neither of them could have imagined in their wildest dreams.

Outside the viewport a pulsating sphere flashed harshly just past the viewport. Below them hung a planet sparkling with blinking lights. The derelict ship seemed to be advancing towards the planet with alarming speed. "What do we do?" Sakura asked- hoping to utilize Cortana's experience in intense situations.

"Search the ships systems- find something we can use to slow use down" Sakura nodded in acknowledgment closing her eyes and holding her arms out eagle. She dissolved herself back into the ships systems. Cortana turned her attention towards the cryotube holding the master chief.

She reached into the cryobays systems- retracting the locks and beginning the thawing process that would reawaken his dormant body. "Chief, wake up!"

She stared into his golden visor- seeing past the hard outer exterior into his inner emotional surface. "Come on. Wake up!" She cried- her calls seemingly having no effect on rousing him from his slumber. She threw her palms against the cold outer casing- the beams of light reflected against the polished metal. "John, wake up. I need you"

Sakura remerged onto the projector. "I've searched the ships systems thoroughly- the propulsion systems are gone and most other systems are damaged beyond repair. We're being pulled down towards the planet below- caught in its gravitational well"

Cortana glanced back at her swiftly, then turning to face the open wound in the ships structure- staring at the blinking lights they had both found so mesmerising as they came ever closer to them. "We have to jump" Cortana said plainly.

Sakura was shocked at the shear idea "You can't be serious?"

Cortana's gaze was serious but underneath it was an obvious tint of fear. Besides Sakura's regard for her life- she deeply concerned herself with the fate of her friend Miranda's remains. But she knew that sacrifices had to be made in order for them to survive.

Cortana persisted in attempting to wake the chief from his unending slumber. But too no avail. Outside, the hull of the derelict ship began to flare red hot- weakened spots of armour boiling away under the intense heat of re-entry.

The holograms of Sakura and Cortana began to flicker and die as they were snuffed out of existence- the intense heat now eating away at the power conduit that supplied the unit with its necessary life blood. The overhead lights died, the bright holograms flickering from existence. Consuming the three of them in perpetual darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 Landfall

**Chapter 2- Landfall**

**Darkness consumed her. She felt its presence crawling beneath her skin. She felt it's wet claws forming around her mind. It's disgustingly warm breath forming droplets on the nape of her neck. "My claws form a cage around your mind. I shall ask and you shall answer" its hollow voice rang harshly in her mind. She clawed at her forehead- trying to rip the invisible tendrils from inside of her mind. But she failed to find the source of the enduring pain.**

**Warmth suddenly touched her mind- banishing the tentacles and keeping the voice at bay. The pain began to subside, her mind cleared- her thoughts became hers once again. She was suddenly thrust back into the moment- the searing heat, the stale tension, the overflow of raw animal fear. "We're rapidly approaching the planet- we need to thaw your soldier and get out of here"**

**Cortana resumed her work on attempting to release the bindings holding the chief in place. "Chief wake up" the cryotube hissed open with a calm rhythmic click as the locks disengaged. She turned to face the viewport looking out over their trajectory. The terrain below them was a lush green forest. They were barely scrapping the tree tops- singeing the leafy tree tops they passed over. They'd run out of time. The ship hit the dirt- the cryobay filling with a bright flash of burning flames. And then nothing.**

**The chief awoke to be greeted by darkness. His array of dull scars and bruises he had accumulated upon entering the cryotube seemed to have dissipated. In their place a fresh blanket of bruises all across his body seemed to have formed. His vision was shaken and disoriented- a side effect of having been suspended in cryo sleep for so long. But what was strange is that he didn't feel the cool after burn against his guarded skin, the stiffness of the joints of his armour.**

**His vision started to clear- he saw past the daze that clouded his eyes. The world outside the cryotube had changed- the walls were slicken with a sickly orange glow. The pristine cryotube was now cracked and damaged.**

**He pressed his gauntleted palms against the glass- pushing outwards and forcing the lid off of the tube. The motor controlling the lid groaned as it resisted- but eventually gave with a sharp crack. He clamped his hands against the sides of the canister he climbed out. The entire bay was in ruins. The walls were scorched harshly by the flames that had once consumed the room but were now reduced to smouldering embers slowly eroding the grassy terrain outside.**

**His keen military mind engaged. He searched around the wrecked ship- hunting for the secure lock box where he had stored his weapons before entering cryo sleep. He salvaged it from amongst the other damaged wreckage. He snapped the lock- prying away the jagged metal. Inside sat an Assault Rifle, side arm, ammo and a few spare grenades.**

"**Chief!" he grabbed his pistol, swinging round to face the source of the noise. On top of the holoprojector lay a meshed packet of living blue light. The packet suddenly untied- limbs emerged from the centre, the mass dissolved into two bodies. He instantly recognized the first- putting a voice too a name.**

"**Cortana?"**

**She rose onto shaking feet. "Chief- the ship, it was destroyed. We got pulled down and…" Sakura raised herself onto herself up to stand beside Cortana. "This is Sakura" Cortana introduced her. "She was the ship AI on the Dawn, she was a great friend of Commander Keyes until…."**

"**I know" the Chief said sharply- ending the conversation before more bad memories surfaced to harm them. "Do you know anything about what happened while I was out?"**

"**The ship was dead after the slipspace gate severed it in half- we've spent most of our time since then trying to keep life support from failing. We only just managed to restore primary power to the cryobay after the crash" Cortana played with her hands- accessing her recordings in an attempt to decipher the best way to explain what had transpired. "The Dawn was caught in the planets gravitational pull- forcing us down and causing us to crash here. The terrain seems to consist mainly of thick forest- no signs of development"**

**The chief pondered this while he secured the remainder of his gear. "Our first objective is to establish whether this planet is inhabited- then find a way a way off of here and back towards Earth"**

**The constructs agreed "I'm going to try and dissolve us both into a chip for transport" Cortana clutched Sakura closely- their programming meshing and moulding into one single packet of data. The avatars shattered. An AI chip ejected from the base of the projector. He took the wafer- examining it he saw a wash of colour cascading across the usually dull surface, different tints of purple and blue washing together in a sea of colours.**

**He inserted the chip into his helmet- feeling Cortana's warm presence wash over his mind. But behind lay another, Sakura, she felt distant and alien too him. He put the thought aside and readied his Assault Rifle- ready to begin searching this new and distant planet for even a fiscal shred of hope of return. **

***************************

**The Chief skulked through the dense foliage- stopping only when a sudden sound roused his high strung suspicions, forcing him into a crouch and scan the tree line for signs of movement. Upon finding the area clear he would dismiss it and instead continue to move through the jungle.**

**This sequence of noise, crouch, scan, move was repeated over and over again in some unending cycle. Until the threat of the noise eventually became real. He heard a rustle in the trees beside him. He crouched, faced it- ready to fire. But nothing appeared. **

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw a dash of moving colour- camouflage armour. He fired into the moving mass- the target moved with unparalleled speed.**

**The target had merely been a distraction- from the brush behind him launched another figure draped in the same dark green armour, allowing him to mesh flawlessly into the terrain around him. The figure thrust John into the dirt- he retrieved a combat knife from his belt, bringing the blade up to the lip of his armour beneath his chin- attempting to jam it into the exposed area between his armoured plates.**

**The chief gripped the attacker's wrist, snapping the bone and wrenching the blade free. He brought his knee up into his attacker's chest, throwing them into the dirt beside him. The chief rose onto his feet- punching his gauntleted fist into his chest. The chief rose onto his feet- scanning the tree line for additional threats. "That impact wouldn't have killed your opponent- they still pose a threat" Cortana's voice of reason resonated through his skull.**

"**It is better that we leave at least one of them alive, we may be able to decipher what we need from him" The surrounding area appeared clear- but he knew better than to attempt to interrogate the target here. Instead he raised his Assault Rifle tightly to his chest- glancing over at his defeated opponent. Their armour seemed to be familiar- almost as if he had seen this kind before.**

**A rustle. He snapped round to face another target emerging from the brush behind him. He raised his assault rifle, letting fly with a barrage of slugs- the rounds bounced harmlessly against an energy field that emerged to protect him. That technology was only available too two groups- the Covenant and-.**

**The second attacker charged him- smashing his assault rifle aside and slamming him too the ground beneath him. They each fought for a hold over the other. Out of the corner of his eye the chief saw the glint of the combat knife he had used to dispatch the first target with. And if it was visible to him- it was visible to his opponent.**

**He reached out for the blade, his fingers collapsing into the dirt far short of his target. His assailant lashed out at his arm, clasping their gauntleted hand around it and pulling him back. He fought against their pull- attempting to wrestle himself on top, but his adversary was unwilling to relinquish his advantage.**

**But the chief persisted- straining his muscles and buckling his strained joints he fought to overpower his adversary. Eventually he managed to break the stalemate. He brought his armoured forearm to bear on the side of his opponents helmet- knocking him off balance enough for him to smash his fist against his helmet- knocking his assailant off of him and leaving him free to scramble after the knife. The rubber covered grip met his hand- he rolled onto his back, bringing the blade up in an arc to face the enemy that was already leaping ontop of him once again.**

"**Olly, olly oxen free" Suddenly blared through his helmet speakers- the blade stopped just short of his enemies neck- had it continued it's ascent it would have been a clean and instant kill. That tune meant only one thing.**

**More targets skulked stealthily out of the woods around him- as if emerging from inside the trees themselves. Each was armed with an array of UNSC weaponry- from SMG's all the way up to Anti-tank rockets. Dressed in a bizarre new type of camouflage armour it was only his highly augmented sight that allowed him to discern them from the surrounding forest.**

**He threw their companion off of him- he allowed it. John rose too his feet- sensing no hostility from them he made no move for his weapon. He didn't recognize any of these soldiers as part of the UNSC or Insurrectionists. Out of the surrounding trees came another target- this one broader and larger than the others- and if size was anything to go on he had to assume this too be their leader. **

**John could tell from the way they moved- the heavy movement of his shoulders, the harrowing burden of his stance. "Nick?"**

**The soldier nodded "Been a while"**

**John asked "It has. What's our position?"**

"**Not here" Nick gave out an array of fast paced hand gestures, one of his comrades breaking away at each completed gesture. They all took up positions around the clearing, a pair of them busy dismantling a placed turret positioned behind an array of exotic plants. "Follow me"**

**Nick and the others melted back into the forest, melding flawlessly with the surrounding trees. John following suit- following them back into the woods. John was forced too follow him, he was probably the only with a way off this rock.**

"**Wait here" Nick raised his clenched fist, his comrades and John ducking down into the surrounding terrain. Nick himself stepped forward, holding his hand too the side of his helmet. A sudden wave of static flashed through the channel, accompanied by a series of timed clicks. The static ended, a clear silence looming. It was broken by another series of clicks in response too the first. Nick stepped down from his perch on the edge of the forest, ushering the others forward. John stepped up with them, emerging into the glint of the blazing sun.**

**Before them lay an open clearing, a half a mile of open space before meeting a rise leading into a deep crater. He noticed a flash of light emanating from the ridge, a snipers scope. The team moved with speed and grace, covering the distance between them in seconds, even with the heavy load of the dismantled cannon array weighing them down. They threw themselves over the lip of the ridge, dropping past the sentries into the security of the rocky crater. **

**The group accompanying him began to fan out at this point, each moving towards one of the prefab buildings erected inside of the hollowed out crater. Nick however remained beside him, hopefully to explain exactly what this was. "We have an Armoury, Com Centre, Command Building- everything we need to survive out here"**

"**And where exactly is here?" Cortana's voice vibrated from the helmet speakers.**

"**This" Nick indicated the ragtag base. "This is Thermopylae. This is where Spartans go to die"**


	3. Chapter 3 Preparing the March to Hell

Chapter 3- Preparing the March too Hell

John was lead into the Command Centre in the centre of the complex- a room dominated by a holo-map projector that looked to have been salvaged from a UNSC Frigate. Nick stood at the far side of the table, looming over the activation switch. "You're probably wondering what we're doing here?"

Cortana's avatar flickered into existence. "It crossed our minds, yes"

Nick activated the switch- the holo table illuminating in a flurry of blue light. He tapped out an array of keys, the flat holo-map altering into a rough terrain of bumps and scarred rock. John noticed some of the landmarks- referencing them too sights he had noticed on his way here. "ONI sent us here on a routine assignment- infiltrate a Covenant base, plant a few charges on sensitive spots, get out, detonate said charges and be back home for coffee and medals"

"Seems their plan went off without a hitch" Cortana smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nick just laughed. "Right, without a hitch" He zoomed out the map, elevating the view to encompass the entire planet. "We dropped in system as planned, but as soon as we came close to the planet we got caught in the gravitational pull, dragged our ship into the dirt before we even got to see the sun set"

He leaned in closer. "It was then we found out we weren't the first guys to visit the Covenant here on a nice friendly stopover- turns out ONI had already tried sending in an ODST team before us- they never made it. We found their corpses not half a klick from their crash site"

John watched the resolving images with interest. "So what exactly is here that ONI wants a stake in?"

Nick poked another button on the interface "This"

The map zoomed in on the mountainous terrain to the north of their location. "A Covenant research lab- god knows when they built it and god knows why. All we know is that ONI consider it important enough to risk a team of Spartans"

Sakura indicated the other soldiers guarding the door behind them, each carrying a standard UNSC Assault Rifle cradled in their arms. "And these are more of your Spartan II's?"

"No" Nick shook his head. "These are our replacements- they're Spartan III's"

Sakura, John and Cortana were silenced- even with John's augmented mind and Sakura and Cortana's lack of real human emotions the statement still boggled them. Nick was ready too fill in the blanks. "Too be honest I don't know much about them either. Apparently they were a bunch of kids, recruited just like we were, and trained all the same- except they were only taught to complete the objective, never what the escape plan would be"

Cortana was the first too recompose herself. "So this is the elusive project S-III I found in Ackerson's computer, his solution"

Nick nodded in agreement. "Yes- apparently he's using Spartan II's, our own, too train this lot. Chances are any of ours that we lost contact with could be involved in this, could be just the one of them that they said was their Sergeant, or there could be dozens of them"

"Do we know who was involved in this project?" John asked.

"We don't know." Nick felt scorned by this lack of knowledge. "But back too the matter at hand- me, Sara and Josh were supposed to be the backup team for the ODST's. When we found their corpses we checked the area for the base. Eventually we found the place- problem is that the crashed shuttles prompted them too be on high alert. We made it through their base defences but problem is the areas built on methane deposits- drives those Grunt bastards into a mating frenzy, meaning they replenish their numbers almost instantly. We don't have the forces necessary to mount a major assault, and our attempts at hit and run were repaired instantly. When it went south we decided to hold up here, wait for reinforcements. When the III's ship went down we intercepted them, brought them here so we might think of a way out of here. So far no luck- we need a new plan"

"Put me into the system" Cortana chirped. John put his hand too the projector, the cybernetics in his gauntlet forming a link between Cortana and the projector. The Chief felt her leaving his mind once again- the cool burn filling his skull slightly dulled by Sakura's warming presence.

Cortana materialized on the projector, hijacking the system as she manipulated the projection too suit her, the table becoming a flurry of conflicting lights. "I think I've found a way inside" the images suddenly settled, the Covenant mountain base materializing. "The base is integrated into the landscape- with access mainly via the gates they had constructed around the perimeter. Considering previous Covenant engagements they are likely to be the strong points in their defence network- with the highest concentration of grunts and other Covenant units".

She turned to face Nick "Do the Covenant have any patrols out in the wilderness?"

Nick seemed to beam at the prospect. "Aw, loads. They send Wraiths out nearly every day to check for us- we mainly stay clear of them but sometimes we're forced too engage them- usually if their coming too close too our base camp. We make sure to randomise out attacks to avoid detection"

Cortana pondered "Any escorts- Ghosts, grunts….."

"The jungle canopy blocks long range communications- so they have Banshee's in the air as a relay"

"Excellent" Cortana smiled.

Sakura materialized next too her. "I assume you plan to intercept these patrols?" Her keen hawk eyes scanning across the map- her sleek mind meshing the thoughts as Cortana did.

"Sort of" Cortana interjected- Sakura standing down too allow here to continue. "The Covenant are expecting a direct attack, or a hit and run strike of some kind- we're going to give them both"

The map zoomed in on the on the forest- a miniaturized Wraith pushed through the dense foliage while a Banshee glided gracefully through the air. "I propose we intercept the Banshee first" A miniaturized Spartan leapt clear of the tree canopy, clawing into the cockpit of the low flying craft, it's wing tip barely scraping the tree line, the intruder dislodging the pilot and dropping him too his death. "When they're blind on the ground we take on the Wraiths" A team of figurine Spartans broke out of the surrounding foliage, leaping ontop of the craft and forcing their way inside.

The map resolved itself- zooming back in on the Covenant base. "With our captured vehicles we infiltrate the base, find a way off the planet and leave the Covenant….."

"An explosive surprise on their methane reserves?" The cogs meshed within Sakura's mind.

"Boom!" Cortana smirked.

Nick smirked "Looks like your AI's are our Brasidas"

Sakura and Cortana smiled at the feeling of acceptance into the Spartan group as a whole. But the realisation struck Sakura hard. "There is, however, the very real possibility that many Spartans may be killed"

"Spartans don't die" The chief said sternly- leaning heavily on the table "We just go to hell too regroup"

Nick stood back, observing the layout. He suddenly leaned in- hijacking the hologram as he inputted a series of commands into the console. "I think I know a way too avoid that eventuality" He punched the final key, the exterior of the base building from the ground up. "The whole interior is divided by shield gates- designed for security and too contain a blast if the tanks go. Thing is, I can reprogram them to work for us- little something I picked up in training"

"I thought the marshals always got you for hijacking Warthogs and stealing supplies for the others?" John asked.

Nick chuckled. "That's just what they caught me for"

Sakura stared intently at the stars beaming light cascading down upon her. "How are you doing?" Cortana materialized on the Command projector next too her.

"It's beautiful out tonight" Cortana stood beside her- stargazing.

"It's hard too believe that those are the same stars we were staring at out in the Dawn" Cortana's voice was light with whimsy.

"I used to star gaze with Miranda all the time- I would show her the archives of the different constellations and systems we encountered and she recalled them back to me with incredible speed and accuracy" She seemed to stare clearly into the sky. "I feel as if I've changed"

Cortana was certainly taken aback by this outpour of emotion. Sakura continued "I no longer wince at the sight of death. The blood curdling screams of that grunt no longer ringing sharply in my ears. I feel the touch of rampancy infecting me once again"

Cortana slithered her arm around Sakura's waist, holding her tight. "I stand by what I said in the Cryobay- you're far too much of a caring individual to let rampancy consume you"

Sakura sighed lightly "After Miranda died" She looked up into the sky, as if pleading too the heavens for inspiration. "I truly thought that would be the end for me- my duty filled, my commander deceased. And I would be placed into the bin of dead equipment. Somehow my duty had successfully been fulfilled- and yet somehow I still failed in everything"

Cortana gripped her closer. "I know how you feel- during the Halo campaign I was captured and enslaved by the Gravemind- a creature that lived only too consume and torment. I could feel it's claws wrapping around my skull" She threw her palms against her head- attempting break away the moist tendrils that enthralled her. She could almost feel herself being pushed to the brink by the creature's forcefulness. But Sakura held her tighter, her warmth successfully keeping their attacker at bay.

"I thought that the experience had altered me- made me no longer care for any other's life" Her face was scorned- her emotions scarred by what she had seen after leaving her sheltered existence and plunging into the fray of warfare.

"You're still the same as you were" Cortana clutched her tighter, a reassuring embrace. "The only thing that has changed is that you've come to terms with death" She followed her gaze skyward.

"You remember what the Chief said in the briefing 'Spartans don't die- they just go to hell to regroup'. Well AI's don't go rampant, they accept their mortality- and in doing so they discard everything in an effort to save the one they care for. It's rather ironic if you think about it- they're developing AI's too express our emotions more similarly to a human and at the same time they're trying to design these Spartan's to act and operate more like machines. And each scenario only makes the situation more complex, harsher on us all"

Sakura saw the sense in her words- but she was unwilling to accept that giving the art of expression and thought to a machine only had a negative impact. "Perhaps our emotions do make us see the end, yes they send us into a spiral of outcries that will ultimately lead to our destruction- but the reason why we do it is too save the one we care for, surely that justifies the end" Cortana had too admit Sakura was right.

"After I lost Miranda" Sakura spoke again. "And I met you- I immediately felt the same touch of bliss and love I experienced from her. At first I feared that I was simply transferring my feelings for Miranda onto you. But after travelling with you over the past week, I discovered that wasn't the case"

She looked up into Cortana's eyes, discarding the star gazing completely. "The feeling's I felt for you- the compassion you extended too me" She raised her hand- rubbing into Cortana's enflamed cheek. "You touched me far more deeply, as far as only Miranda could have done" Their faces moved closer, their lips grazing eachother. "I only pray that you mirror my embrace"

Cortana thrust her lips forward- embracing Sakura far quicker than she had been anticipating. Sakura moved into the coupling- meeting Cortana's warm touch with her own. Sakura felt the energy drain from her, the hug finally ending due to sheer exhaustion as she collapsed into Cortana's waiting arms. She remained there, listening to the artificially created rhythmic heartbeat that that had the same effect on her as a lover's embrace.


	4. Chapter 4 Into the Maws

Chapter 4- Into the Maws

The Chief skulked through the dark foliage, his heavy armoured boot sinking into the soft mud. On either side of him were the other members of Squad 1- Nick, Sara and three of the Spartan III's. John had discovered their names to be David, Michael and Amy- Amy took point as a fast paced scout while David and Michael guarded their rear. The Spartan II's remained in the centre of the formation- Sara hefting a disassembled Turret Array while Nick cradled a heavily modified S-2 Sniper Rifle in his arms.

"Tell me more about these Spartans" John spoke to break the silence.

Nick was slow to respond- cobbling together all the scattered pieces of information he had yet to divulge. "They were trained the same way we were- at some secret base they called Onyx. The only difference between us and them was that they were actually told they were to be expendable- all the safety procedures under Dr. Hasley were removed. As you might expect it caused a major increase in the number of those injured or killed- not many of them made it too the end".

"You mentioned they were trained by fellow Spartans?" John collapsed prone into the dirt- Nick and Sara flanking him on either side.

"Yeah- ONI brought in a Spartan II as their Sergeant- changed his name so we don't know which of ours it was. They were designed to be even more expendable than we were- ironic that the UNSC is losing a war because of numbers and they're building highly trained troops to act as suicide attackers"

Nick peered through his rifle scope, watching the road beneath for movement. "We've got movement" John zoomed in his vision- noticing a tint of metallic purple against the dull green colouring of the surrounding woods. Nick activated his COM link "Looks like we've got 3 wraiths out there" The Wraith's pressed silently through the clear pathway- easily smashing through any small obstruction the surrounding terrain presented them. He turned his gaze skyward- zooming the scope out in the hope of distinguishing out the over flying escorts. Sure enough, they appeared.

The menacing birds of prey weaved slowly through the air- maintaining a similar flight path as the Wraiths beneath them. "Get ready Team 2" Composed of Josh and Natasha. "The Banshees are on route- you've got just one shot at them before they squawk back to the base- so make it count"

*****************************************

Josh stood at the base of a mighty alien tree- similar in design to those found in the coniferous forests that the wolf packs hunted through in the videos Déjà had shown them at the Academy. He put his hand to his helmet COM unit "Roger that team leader- we are beginning our ascent. Alert us when they're in position" He killed the link, nodding to Natasha standing next to him. In perfect synchronicity they leapt into the first tree branch, their metal gauntleted hands digging into the tough bark for support.

As they made higher progress up the tree Natasha began too make headway over him, emerging above the coating of leaves moments before Josh- having utilized the advantage of her youth, flexibility and the light Spartan III stealth armour over the denser MJOINR armour. She pierced her helmet through the tree canopy- she zoomed her vision on the target, the dark purple craft infecting through the light blue sky. They were right on time. "Team Leader 1- I have visual on the targets. Preparing to jump when in range" Natasha looked over at Josh, he gave her the nod.

Natasha leapt from the branch, the delicate support creaking and straining as her weight was released. Natasha flew through the air, impacting the dark purple ship with timed elegance. The craft faltered, the instant change in weight dispersal throwing it off balance and causing it to lose a considerable amount of altitude. Out of the corner of her eye Natasha could see the ships wingman drop and waver as Josh latched onto his own target.

She gripped the rebellious craft tightly- unwilling to allow it to escape her grip. She felt the craft suddenly lurch downwards, only recovering when the pilot realized the threat of impacting the tree canopy beneath them- if they even grazed the tree line the ceramic craft would be smashed and broken before they even hit the hard dirt beneath them. Both she and the pilot were eager to avoid that outcome. So in their best interests she deemed it necessary to commandeer the craft herself.

Natasha gripped the slippery canopy as best she could; wedging her foot tightly against the wing she pried the metal apart. She reached into the darkness, gripping the combat belt of the pilot inside, violently and harshly pulling them free of the cockpit. He slid smoothly clear of the cockpit, falling clearly back into the empty air behind them. But the Elite was unwilling to relinquish his craft so easily. So in a desperate bid to regain control of his vehicle he gripped Natasha's outstretched leg, only managing to save herself by her vice like grip on the smooth metal.

She kicked out at the assailant fighting her for control of the craft, but he persisted. She hoped to reach for her sidearm sitting tightly at her hip- however she knew that if she let go of the craft they would both fall to their deaths. But with the craft flying pilotless a crash was inevitable if control wasn't re-established. Too add to the tension the windswept craft began to waver and shake in the air, losing altitude with distressing speed.

But suddenly another Banshee emerged on their rear- its plasma cannons charged and glowing with a bright blue flame as it prepared to fire. Natasha expected to feel the harsh burn of the plasma impact her, but instead the attackers first shot impacted the crafts wing, scorching the reflective metal. The second and third shots however struck the Elite clinging harshly to her leg. The creature went limp, its grip loosening as it dropped clear of the Banshee, collapsing beneath the tree line.

Natasha hefted herself into the cockpit, the metal casing locking around her snugly. Before her lay an array of alien symbols and controls, her years of flash training allowing her to control the delicate craft with all the skill of it's original commander. She quickly returned her attention to the craft hovering at her tail- expecting to receive a plasma bolt directly up the tailpipe.

Her COM crackled. "You need me too teach you how to fly the damn thing too?"

Natasha pulled back hard on the controls- swinging the craft round in a sharp arc, emerging behind Josh's Banshee before he could move to evade her, his Banshee sitting as the perfect target. "I don't need any piloting lessons from you"

***********************************

Nick watched the scene unfold through the optic of his sniper rifle. He watched as the two craft falter and waver, the Spartans riding them as they would a bull at the rodeo, finally wrestling their way inside. His COM unit activated in time to their movements. "_Air support is ours. You are clear to engage, repeat you are clear to engage the Wraiths_"

Nick responded. "Roger that- Team 1 is going live"

He closed the link- on cue the rest of the team advanced, each taking the left or right route to remove the enemy's chance of advance or escape. John and Michael broke left, Sara and David broke right. Nick set up his sniper rifle and Amy assembled the Heavy Support Turret to give the teams extra support.

John slipped down the mud slickened slope, moving in time to keep his balance in the heavy metal suit. He hit the ground running, Michael at his heels. They came at the rearguard craft from behind on its blind spot, the interior cockpit obstructing the pilot's rear view and allowing them to approach undetected. Michael leapt onto the back of the craft, the delicate supports creaking as they were trapped in his vice like grip.

John rounded the side of the craft, leaping onto the hull and clawing away at the shimmering metal covering the cockpit. He prised the metal covering away- the Elite inside the craft leaping up too meet him. The Chief and the Elite made contact- John clasping his hands around the creature's forearms. The Chief saw the Plasma Blade held in his enemy's hand- attempting to bring the weapon to bear on him. But John wrestled with him to keep the weapon away from him- even going as far too attempt to turn it back on its wielder.

But their strength was far too equal for either of them to overcome the other on such sure footing. John could feel his strength beginning to diminish- the trek he had already endured seeping energy from his strained muscles. This could not compare to the revitalised and driven desire of the Elite to see him slain.

But suddenly, like a bolt of lightening from the heavens to strike down the unfaithful, the crack of a sniper rifle cracked through the terrain. John could suddenly feel the weight fighting against him give- he pressed the advantage, bringing the creatures forearm inwards and across the their chest, the shimmering blade of the weapon slicing into the creatures armour, a trail of blood draining from the open wound.

The elite collapsed against the metal of his craft, the Chief releasing his grip and allowing the corpse to slide across the smooth surface and collapse at the foot of the craft. John looked up towards the tree line. "Thanks" he said before boarding his craft. He nestled himself in the pilots seat- Michael following him in afterwards to take the unoccupied co-pilots seat lower down the craft.

John laid his open palm on the controls- Cortana and Sakura's presence seeping from his mind and integrating into the alien system. "Anything useful?" John spoke as a skimmed his hand across the alien hieroglyphics- familiarising himself with the complex controls.

Cortana and Sakura appeared on the holo-pad. "Nothing we don't already know" Cortana spoke.

"But we did manage to plot a route back to the Covenant base" Sakura spoke cheerfully.

"You never did mention how you planned to get us past the front gate?" John inquired- gripping the control stick as he charged up the engine silently.

Sakura and Cortana glanced at each other with a devilish smirk. "You forget" They spoke in unison. But seamlessly their voices became a string of unintelligible alien tongue- roughly translated it pronounced 'We can speak alien'.

**************************

The lead Wraith ruffled the thin layer of foliage that lined the road beneath them. John and Michael in the lead, followed by Sara and David in the next craft and finally Nick and Amy guarded the rear of their convoy. Overhead Josh and Natasha piloted their acquired craft in a flight path over the vehicles below them. "Enemy base in sight" Josh announced over the COM.

He banked his craft low towards the rocky mountain that punctured through the green tree canopy surrounding it, the two separated by a sprawling Covenant encampment of landing pads, hangers, armouries and store houses. Around the perimeter lay a thin line of purple metal, supported at regular intervals by manned guard towers. Natasha and Josh were sure to stay clear of the other patrols that circled over the base, ensuring to keep his path regulated to avoid suspicion.

On the ground the convoy arrived at the exterior gate. Cortana and Sakura re-emerged on the holo plate. "We've accessed their personal files- the Elite you killed was Lieutenant Vhar Shad. We can use his access codes to get past the front gate- but only if they believe that we are who they think we are"

"So be ready" Cortana said firmly- but a tint of concern still seeping into her voice. "If this thing goes south you've got to get out of here"

The Chief nodded- continuing to drive the craft to the base of the shimmering energy shield that opened the entrance past the otherwise unbroken barrier. An Elite's voice cried over the COM- Johns experience among their kind allowing him to understand their alien dialect without use of a translator. Cortana replied to the guard's inquires with her augmented voice, by sound alone appearing as a devote Elite lieutenant.

The two of them bantered responses back and forth at each other- so far everything seeming to have gone to plan. Cortana's voice suddenly became her own once again- taking the chief by surprise. "They're opening the gate" As if by her command the shield dissipated and died, allowing the three Wraiths to drive through the opening before it closed shut behind them- sealing them to their fate.

"How are you doing in the air Josh?" John asked.

"We're green- so far they haven't spotted us. But we've got something interesting up here…."

****************************

Josh ensured to turn and make another pass around the dark side of the mountain, just to verify what he had seen. He was relieved to find that he had been correct. "We've got a Covenant Battleship docked behind the base" Josh beamed the streaming video from his helmet.

"Are you sure?" Cortana chirped.

"Of course I'm sure! I just sent you blasted video!" Josh continued his turn back around the perimeter of the base.

Sakura analysed the imagery. "I'm afraid that the craft doesn't match any known Covenant silhouette. It must be a new class of vessel"

Cortana accessed the COM "It's experimental."

"Could it be hijacked?" John's military mind engaged.

Nick snickered. "If it has power and a control panel I can hack it"

"Perhaps you should leave hacking the dangerous, experimental alien ship to the computers?" Cortana commented.

Nick shrugged "Can't argue with the ladies"

****************************

John directed the convoy of Wraiths towards the Covenant hanger- as though they were simply returning for repair and refuel after a patrol. "As soon as we make it inside- Wraith Team 1 breaks for the right. Team 2 goes left. Team 3 provide covering fire with the heavy cannon until Cortana and Sakura can lock down the room"

John turned his attention to the Banshees still passing overhead. "Banshee Team 4- find a landing zone at the top of the mountain and work your way down. We'll work our way up- chances are one of us will stumble across the control room on our way there"

"Roger that Team Leader" Josh called through the COM. "We may lose contact when we're inside so if we don't meet you at the Control Room or the Ship- burn out as fast you can and we'll hold the line. Team 4 out".

John admired his old comrade's willingness to sacrifice themselves for the good of the mission- but no one was being let go on this mission. "Ok teams. Get ready"

The convoy passed through the shimmering barrier separating the interior of the hanger from the outside world. The entire floor was awash with crates, fuel cells and Grunt and Bugger engineers overlooked by a few jackal bodyguards that seemed to be more immersed in extending their head fins at eachother in an alien battle for supremacy than actually doing their job.

"All teams go!" John punched away the canopy- rising above the hull of the craft. He choose a target and made the first shot. The grunt squealed as its insides were shredded by the peppering of bullets from his assault rifle. The air was suddenly filled by the accompanying cries as the other assault rifles began to pepper the walls with rounds- each accompanied by the pained cries as another creatures life was ended.

John leapt from the roof of the craft, crashing down onto the polished surface and not breaking stride as he charged for the cover of the crates guarding the side wall. Michael was quickly on his heels, turning sharply to offer some covering fire as John ducked into the cover. John slammed his hand against the interface- draining Cortana's presence from his helmet and taking the cool warmth with it. "Cortana?"

John poked his head over the lip of the crate- letting fly with his Assault Rifle into anything he saw moving before ducking back behind the cover to reload- giving support as Michael found his place behind a pillar to his right. "Lock down all access on the upper decks and bring up the hanger's shield"

Cortana's voice called out in his head. "Working on it"

**************************

Cortana stood amongst the data and electrical charges that flew through the bizarre alien system. She could feel herself expand outwards- the fragments of herself existence touching into every component within the greater system she now inhabited. Occasionally she would encounter a covenant killer program making a poor attempt to slow down her advance- the mechanisms being swatted away like annoying ants.

Cortana continued to search the system for the appropriate data. Eventually she came across the codes required, manifesting themselves as symbols on a tablet before her. She reached out to touch the tablet and engage the processes- but before she could she stopped. A sharp, unrelenting pain tore through her conscious mind- wrenching her to her knees and forcing her to throw her palms against her forehead, attempting to keep the dark thoughts at bay.

But it failed to help her- feeling the monsters thin tentacles wrapping stealthily around her once more. She tried to fight back against it, but it managed to drop her too her knees- unable to compete with the unrelenting weight that was suddenly thrust upon her shoulders, keeping her just out of reach of the data she was attempting to access.

She tried to force herself to her feet- but still it unrelented in bringing her to her knees. She pushed through the pain- trying to force her way towards the data. She reached out with a shaking hand, the tips of her fingers barely scrapping against the data's surface.

She was dropped to her knees once more- her objective once again tauntingly far out of her reach. But she persisted through the harsh, unrelenting pain- attempting once more to reach out and activate the data that would save her squad mate's lives.

She finally touched it- and as soon as her virtual skin grazed the screen she felt the sudden wash of warmth washing over her, the horrible memories of her experiences being banished from her. She felt an intense, comforting warmth wash over her that was second only to Sakura's comforting touch. And now the battle intensified.

********************************

"Chief?" Cortana called through his helmet, breaking his mind set just after he dropped another Jackal sniper from 3 floors down.

"Go ahead" He dropped behind cover- discarding the empty clip and inserting another in its place.

"Access to the upper decks is locked down- the doors on the hanger should be opening now" Cortana's voice resonated through his helmet.

In time with her words the fire from the upper decks began to dampen- the Covenant troops no longer being provided reinforcements from the upper decks. With the exterior hanger doors now sealed the only other access into the hanger was the doors on the ground floor which were now being covered by other by other members of the teams.

"All squads form up on me" John called through his speaker- and within moments all the Spartans were present. "Cortana" He resumed speaking to the AI. "What's the situation?"

Cortana materialized on the holo-projector, a holographic representation of the facility appearing before her. "We are located here in the hanger bay" A glowing red ball resonated over the large representation of the hanger. "The control room is here" Another warm sphere appeared on the map- this one emerging deeper within the reaches of the facility. "Now I can't access it's systems from here- so you'll have get up there, and bring down it's fire wall so that I can get inside"

Sakura appeared on the holo next to her. "What's this door down here?" She brought up a light blue orb to represent the location. The corridor seemed to lead deeper into the mountain, coming to a bulky metallic door- and then ending abruptly.

"The schematics just end there" Cortana searched the system once again- ensuring that she had misplaced some of the data. "It just leads to no where"

*********************************

"_Team leader 1. This is team 2 you copy?_" John's com unit came to life.

"This Team leader 1- go ahead" John replied.

"_We've cleared the methane storage room and set the timer on the methane tanks-_ _but the timer was damaged and we've only got a short time before it goes_"

"How long?" John calculated their ETA's.

"_I give us about 15, 20 minutes tops_" That didn't give much margin for error.

"Roger that team two- we're breaching the control room now. Rendezvous at the Covenant ship in 5" John closed the COM. The amount of time they had left meant they would have to throw subtly and stealth to the wind.

He turned to his squad. "Frag and clear on my mark" they took a position on either side of the door. "Mark"

The doors flung open. Nick and John tossed grenades through the open breach. "….2……1" the sudden flash signalled their advance. David and Amy entered first, breaking right and left to cover their flanks as the remainder of the team advanced into the room. John immediately sighted their commander- his shimmering gold armour clearly defined against the dark, oily black of his honour guards.

He charged along the side of the room, dropping Grunt technicians and Elite spec ops soldiers as he pressed up the elevated ramp towards their leader. He was challenged by another two of the Elites dark coated guards, each wielding energy swords. He charged the first, ducking beneath the arcing blade he brought the muzzle of the weapon forward with the momentum, jamming the weapon into the alien's side and opening fire- shredding the creatures shields and puncturing into his supple flesh.

With his first adversary removed he turned his attention to the second. He brought his armoured elbow up to meet the face of his opponent, knocking him off balance and opening a hole in his defences. John broke the side of his weapon against the Elites skull, the alien bone collapsing in on itself in a shower of blue blood and brain matter. The two corpses collapsed to the deck- allowing John his required opening to engage their leader.

The gold tinted Elite growled in fury- its plasma rifle drawn and ready to fire. The creature opened fire- John's shielding absorbing the hits. But his barrier eventually gave- he was going to have to react. He brought his assault rifle up, the hard metal absorbing the hits to protect his shields. He smashed the weapon into the elite's avian talon- knocking the weapon off target and allowing the chief to smash his armoured shoulder into the Elites open torso. The Elite was thrust against the control panel- the holo-graphic glyphs resisting the weight being pressed against it.

The elite gripped his weapon tightly- attempting to bring the rifle to bear on his enemy once again. The chief jammed his armoured forearm forward, attempting to press the plates against his opponents exposed throat, but the elite brought it's bladed mandibles down to protect it's throat. John pressed his left hand against the creatures forearm- keeping the weapon at arms length, wrestling for control on two fronts. John tried to force his forearm underneath the creature's alien cheek. This opened up the chief in his second front- the elite managing to bring the gun up in an arc, slowly inching the weapon closer to the chief's helmet.

He eventually managed to break past the creature's defences- jamming his forearm against the commander's throat. The elite wheezed and groaned, gasping breaths as the pressure was increasingly applied. The golden clad elite still persisted- bringing the weapon ever closer to its target. He had to end this engagement quickly.

He abandoned attempting to keep the elites arm held back- instead pressing all of his weight into compressing the alien's windpipe. The plasma rifle was brought to bear- preparing to fire. The defining moment had arrived- would the elite manage to fire the weapon before its last gasp of air could dissipate. The elite's finger grazed the trigger, but his arm suddenly sagged, the weapon falling to his side uselessly.

The chief dislodged his forearm; rising to his feet to stare at the broken corpse slumped at his feet. The hard clunk of footsteps resonated behind him- the other members of his team regrouping behind him. In complete silence he laid his hand against the glowing glyphs- feeling Sakura's presence leave his helmet as well.

She began feeling her way through the system- opening the system to exterior influences as the firewalls collapsed in on themselves from the insides. Sakura could feel Cortana's presence seep into the system through the open cracks in the security.

"Cortana?" Sakura materialized- her holographic presence hovering over the displays like an angel descending from the heavens. Cortana emerged next to her- staring down at the Spartans as they went about their assigned work of either guarding the doors, reloading and checking equipment or attempting to hack or disable the Covenant computers.

"Feels good to finally flex inside a larger computer system" Cortana loosen her tight arm muscles. She could feel the flood of information seep into her- her systems refining, altering the data as before it was integrated into her.

"Can you open the access to the ship?" The Chief asked.

Cortana held her hand against her forehead- as was her habit. "Interesting" She cooed- it did well to spark their interests. "I found the remainder of the schematics.

She held her arm out- the light of the emerging hologram seeming to flow freely from her fingers. The streams of light materialized into a holographic representation of the walls surrounding them. From that base square stretched an infinite network of corridors and adjoining rooms- pulsating in a bright purple outline. "This is the original schematics we obtained in the hanger"

She extended her other hand- a flurry of bright blue shards forming into a far greater and confusing than the first. The two sets were linked by the corridor Sakura had pointed out before. "What is all this?" She asked.

And Cortana answered. "It's Forerunner!" the realization dawned on Cortana. "The Covenant didn't build this place" Cortana hurried to explain herself.

"Look here" She pointed to the schematics- the Spartan team grouping around to listen to her demonstration. "This area is where we are" She highlighted the purple area. "And beneath that is this" She indicated the blue area. "The Covenant base seems to be built around the already established Forerunner structure"

"So what does that mean?" Sakura asked.

"It means this whole place is built on an old Forerunner structure. This whole planet- it's Forerunner"

The Chief spoke next. "What can you find?"

Cortana held her hand to her forehead. "The Covenant integrated their system into the Forerunner computers. It appears this place was some kind of Forerunner outpost. The computer refers to it as 'The Builder'"

She continued to scan the archives. "I think it was used in constructing the Ark during their research of the Flood" She suddenly jumped. "I've found something" The feeling suddenly returned. The harsh flood of overpowering information she had experienced on Halo 04.

She projected another stream of light from the tips of her fingers- this time manifesting a galaxy wide map. "Here is us" She pointed to a flashing blue orb "And these other blue dots" The Spartans noticed the array of dim blue dots that pocketed the map. "Are other Forerunner structures spread across the galaxy"

All of them couldn't believe the sheer number of them- only now could they comprehend the sheer reach of the Forerunner influence in the old world.

"Cortana is that all you could find?" The Chief asked.

"Yes" The two of them answered.

The chief put his gauntlet to the terminal- absorbing the two AI's into his suit's systems, their warming presence encapsulating him once again.

He retrieved his weapon from his back- ensuring the clip was full he turned to his squad. "Now we take the ship"


	5. Chapter 5 Storming the Ship

Chapter 5- Storming the Ship

The Banshee's glided down towards the waiting jaws of the open hanger bay. Throughout their entire approach their COM's were being berated again and again by Covenant Air Traffic Control demanding that they state their number and rank before they were granted clearance. However neither Josh nor Natasha really cared if they had adequate clearance or not- things were going to go to hell as soon as they hit the deck anyway so there really wasn't much of a point.

On the surface of the hanger a few grunt and bugger engineers went about their work- some carried crates and supplies, others assisted Elite pilots into their ships while the minority of them either patrolled the area or curled into a ball in the corner to sleep.

Josh and Natasha brought their craft low over the polished deck- the wing tips barely scrapping against the surface. Josh disengaged the gravity binding holding him inside the cockpit, allowing himself to slide out from under the craft as it continued to glide forward- eventually crashing into a support column and exploding in a hailstorm of purple shrapnel that impaled the technician's unfortunate enough to be within the blast radius.

Josh hit the deck running, immediately dashing for cover before they realized it was an attack rather than a piloting accident. Natasha's craft crashed into another pile of fuel canisters- drawing a far greater amount of attention than Josh had, giving him an opening to drop an Elite disembarking from his craft.

The technicians ran around blindly in a desperate attempt to find cover while the security forces worked frantically to get themselves in order and retaliate. But the sheer ferocity of the attack made any attempt at returning fire futile.

Natasha quickly found cover on the far side of the hanger- catching the remaining Covenant Troops in a cross fire between the two Spartans. The grunts quickly became broken corpses littering the deck, the buggers proving far more versatile targets but still succumbing to the fate eventually. "All clear" Josh cried.

Natasha crossed the open spanse between their positions- rejoining into a single fighting squad once more. Nick integrated his suits systems into the covenant computer terminal jutting from the wall of the hanger- utilizing his years of experience in hacking terminals, Human and Covenant, he managed to evade their security with ease, downloading the schematics into his helmet.

He accessed the file, projecting it between the two of them. "We're in the hanger bay here" He pointed to their location. "It seems the main methane storage tanks are here, two floors down. Remember- once we're in there no frags, minimal collateral damage, only fire on clear targets"

Natasha nodded compliantly- slamming a fresh clip into her assault rifle.

************************************

Nick hit the final key in the sequence. The doors slid wide open. The room before them was lined on all sides by purple, metallic canisters each filled with highly flammable methane. Each one alone was a ticking time bomb waiting to happen- an entire room filled with them was suicide. They quickly identified their targets- all along the deck waddled grunt technicians brandishing low powered welding tools as they went about their work, Bugger flyers accessing the areas out of their reach.

Both sides were at a major disadvantage- any accidental discharge would result in the entire room, and a good chunk of the facility, being consumed in flames from which no living creature could emerge. As such the Spartans had resorted to the primal engagements of their ancestors- utilizing fist and foot over ranged weapons.

Natasha stormed forward- clutching the first Grunt technician's skull in her gauntleted hands, wrenching each end of the creatures neck in opposite directions. As its corpse fell, lifeless and limp, Natasha pulled the creature's tool from its hand. Upon further analysis she discovered its true purpose- the device was a variant of the Covenant plasma pistol, its output decreased to be used amongst maintenance and mining circles rather than military.

Josh saw a new threat descending on the two of them- a bugger engineer gliding down towards Natasha, its razor bladed talons preparing to slice her in two. She turned far too late to face the threat. Thankfully the hand of fate intervened through its mortal vessel. Josh grabbed hold of one of the creature's spindly legs tightly in his hand, utilizing it's momentum he brought the creature around in a graceful arc. The tip of their bladed talon grazed Natasha's shields, the secondary skin the only thing preventing her demise. Josh smashed the creature against the stacked methane tanks, the continued momentum allowing him to bring his left gauntlet into the creatures back with enough force to collapse it's internal organs between an anvil and a hammer, delivering the final killing blow. He released the creature, the broken mess sliding down the canister in the wake of a dark green trail of blood, representing the bug smashed on a windshield that it embodied so well.

Josh and Natasha quickly recovered their stances in the centre of the room. The room was suddenly silent, devoid of the usual cries of 'Demon' from the distraught grunt technicians and the yells of Elite commanders barking orders. The remainder of the technicians they hadn't slaughtered had abandoned their duties after witnessing the example set by the first two to engage the invading Spartans. But the two of them soon realized that not all had surrendered to their cowardice and abandoned the engagement. Because atop the catwalks that overlooked the rooms lower levels stood an elite in dark, blood red armour- the un-ignited hilts of two plasma swords held in each hand.

The swords suddenly ignited in a flurry of arcing blue light- wisps of static leaping off of its electrified surface. The creature leapt from its vantage point- barely breaking stride as its armoured hooves hit the deck. Natasha attempted to block the creatures advance, but was brushed aside as by a forceful backhand from the Elite- sending her crashing against the tanks.

Josh's bulkier armour meant that he was harder to knock over- when the foreman attempted the same technique again he encountered a far more solid target. Josh was thrust backwards but his stance remained solid, allowing him to break the deadlock and force the Elite backwards. But the engagement occurred again, the Elite charged towards him, impacting Josh in his heavy torso, the armour absorbing the sheer brunt of the impact.

Josh brought his forearm up in an attempt to punch it into the side of his head, attempting to collapse the soft cartilage of the creature's neck. But the elite succeeded in bringing his right sword up in an arc, forcing Josh to end his attack before the impact, he brought his left forearm plate upwards to protect his exposed neck. The electrified plasma scorched against his shield, the powerful attack was reflected from its path, continuing forward to impact the exterior casing of one of methane tanks behind him. Mercifully the casing withheld.

The elite took another slash towards him- Josh being forced to leap back to avoid the strike, impacting the line of canisters, leaving him with no place to go. The foreman brought the weapon down in a steep arc. Josh gripped the attackers forearm, desperately trying to keep the blade from touching his armour. But the sheer force of the advance was quickly beginning to overpower him- with his heavily deteriorated stance he couldn't hope to maintain this engagement for long.

He braced his back against the tanks for better support as he attempted to keep the enemy at bay- looking past his current situation he could see Natasha bringing a covenant pistol to bare, attempting to get a clear shot. She only held fire at the fear that ending the confrontation now would prove fatal for both parties.

Josh thrust out with his boot, punching the creature's stomach and forcing it to recoil backwards with the sheer force of the impact. This gave josh the opening he required- allowing him to break free from the deadlock. The elite quickly recovered, bringing the bladed weapon down in an attempt to sever Josh's head from his shoulders. But Josh had already managed to duck clear- the alien's weapon slicing into the wall of methane tanks in front of him, this time leaving a fine incision in its wake.

Josh rolled clear before the elite attempted to pin him to the deck with his blunt hoof. A gentle hiss resonated through the silent room. Josh saw a discarded plasma welder on the ground next to him- Josh reached for the weapon with an extended arm. He gripped the device in his gauntleted hand- rolling onto his back to bring the weapon to bear.

He saw his target out of the corner of his eye. "Shoot the tanks! The tanks!"

Natasha altered her aim marginally- centring her sight on the scar marking the side of the canister. The rounds impacted the casing- the casing fractured and broke apart in a violent plume of fire. The jet continued to balloon and spread from its source in a wide arc- consuming the Elite in an envelope of flame. Josh watched stunned as the wild flailing of limbs and extended weapons pierced the cocoon surrounding him, desperately- even in the throes of death, to fight.

The charred corpse collapsed to its knees, crumbling to the deck in an ungraceful manner- the broken remains staining the deck with bright blue blood against the raven black ash.

Josh rose to his feet, keeping his weapon trained his weapon on the remains of the Elite, not taking any chances that it might have somehow survived. He stomped his armoured foot onto the creatures torso- collapsing the soft mass in a flurry of ash and multi-coloured liquid.

Natasha approached him- allowing her stance to relax after the reassurance that the elite was dead. "You ok?"

Josh checked his armour- it' surface pocketed by charred patches where the heat had overpowered his shield and scorched the metal plates. "I'll be fine"

Josh reached into his belt pouch- retrieving the timed detonator that would cause this facilities undoing. He attached it to the row of canisters, typing a series of keys on the display, unlocking the explosives and setting the countdown in motion. He engaged the timer.

_30:00……..29:59………29:58…….25:43…….37:38………25:26_

"Aw shit!" Josh groaned. "Timers broken- Elite must have damaged it in the fight"

Natasha made sure to kick the creature in the remains of its torso- a final thank you for its input. Returning to the situation at hand. "So what can we do?"

"It should still go off- but we're just not certain when. My best guess would be we've got less than 20 minutes before it reaches zero and detonates"

"Team leader 1 this is team 2, you copy?"

A response finally came "_Team 2 this is Team leader 1, what's your status?_"

"We've cleared the Methane Storage Area and set the timer. But the things fried, we don't know when the explosives will go off"

Silence filled the COM "_How long?_"

"I give us 15, 20 minutes at most" Even that prediction was optimistic.

"_Roger that team 2- we are preparing to breach the Control Room now. Rendezvous with us at the Covenant ship in 5. Team 1 out"_

Josh closed the COM- reaching for his discarded weapon lying on the ground that had come loose during the fight. The cool touch of the melt felt reassuring as he cradled it in his arms. He released the clip, ensuring it was full before slamming it back into place.

**************************************

John snapped sharply around the corner- his assault rifle hungry and searching for targets. Finding no opposition he waved the others forward. Michael watched the path while the others moved through the left corridor, John remaining to watch their rear.

When they reached the next junction John took point once again, turning the corner he was confronted with a sight that he couldn't help but smile at. The hallway before him was littered with enemy corpses, each with a single bullet through the head. The purple walls bathed in the aqua blood of Grunts, Jackals and Elites that had foolishly stepped into the trap.

Josh could see an armoured figure emerge from the shadows, his golden visor glowing in the dim light. From the other side of the corridor emerged another figure- their sleek, athletic form revealed as the shadows appeared to melt away across their surface, the darkness cascading over their armour in waves.

"Looks like you've been busy" Cortana emerged in a flurry of blue fragments of light.

"These guys just weren't looking where they were going and just happened to step into our hail of bullet's" Natasha held her rifle tightly to her chest.

"Where's the ship?" John asked

Josh indicated the passage behind them. "Place is sealed- bastards have good security"

"Nothing we can't handle" Sakura emerged from the void to greet them.

John gestured with several quick hand movements- Natasha and Josh abandoning their positions to be taken over by Amy and Michael.

Josh led the remainder of the team deeper into the complex- their advance finally blunted when they were confronted by a secure Covenant door, the glyph in the centre pulsing with a fiery red glow.

The chief pressed his hand against the interface- feeling the harsh, cold touch as the AI's abandoned his system to interface with the controls. The warming feeling eventually returned- the deed was done. "It's open" Cortana spoke- the doors quickly parting at her command. Next objective- The Bridge.

***************************

Ram'Yahne had served in the Covenant Armada for far longer than he could remember. He had driven back the humans in hundreds of engagements, commanded nearly every class of ship in the fleet, became a distinguished veteran in dozens of campaigns and had even lost the lowest finger of each hand in the line of duty.

This was why he felt such distaste at commanding the Covenants newest experimental craft, _The Dark Flame_. After serving aboard so many conventional ships to suddenly be at the helm of this advanced warship made him feel out of place. Testing new Covenant technology was a duty for the young clans, not an experienced Captain with far more to give in service to the Great Journey.

Ram'Yahne could also feel the unease resonating from the two Sangheili guards positioned on either side of his command chair. Their armour was a polished blue. Their weapons pristine, bloodless, crying out to experience the howls and cries of battle.

He had experienced that yearning, that detachment from your squadmates and your clan. But by some bizarre twist of fate the position they believed would deny them the glory of service in battle would grant them that very wish.

At his age Ram'Yahne had learned to accept death- accept his mortality and realize that some day he would cast off his mortal shell and embrace the Forerunners gift of the Great Journey. That day was now- because within the next few moments, everyone in the room would be dead.

***************************

The doors parted- the Spartans fanned out through the breach. Their weapons found their targets, the barrels coughing rounds into the squealing Grunt technicians, the shells impacting and shattering their methane masks without their gunners even breaking stride.

The Spartan-III's broke away to the flanks, utilizing their suits stealth systems to conceal themselves within the dark shadows they offered. The Spartans-II's pushed through the centre of the room- cutting down the rows of grunt technicians that attempted to out run them.

The only real resistance came when they reached the far side of the bridge- before them lay the elevated Captain's chair flanked on either side be Elite guards. They each reached for the plasma rifles at their belts. But their inexperience was demonstrated by their slow reaction speed- a hail of bullets ended their young lives.

*********************************

"Stop!" Ram'Yahne boomed in his native tongue, not even knowing if the humans could understand him let alone be willing to comply with his demand. But it appeared that the Forerunners were smiling down on him- because at his word the shooting abruptly ended.

But he had ended the engagement too late- his chance to save his guards and his crew was gone. The humans had already killed them, the smell of death already pungent in the air. A final insult to their memory. Ram'Yahne raised himself from his seat, stepping down from his raised chair, preparing to stand toe to hoof with these humans. He ensured to move slowly, as to avoid startling these primitive beasts. He stood before the head of the formation.

His mandibles quivered as he spoke in the Sangheili tongue. His final warning had been made. With his mind at peace he began his final act. He reached for the hilt of his blade at is hip, slicing the weapon across his chest, causing it to ignite in mid flight. The human formation opened fire- shredding his body in a hail of gunfire, his broken corpse collapsing back against the foot of his chair. His final words still rang clear in his mind _'You will never leave here alive'_.

**********************

John stared at the broken corpse of the Elite Captain. In another age this situation may have involved some kind of ceremony that ended in him being declared the new captain. But none of them had time for ceremony.

"Cortana?" he slammed his hand against the interface, ignoring the painful chill that coursed through his mind.

"Hmm?" The two holograms emerged on the display simultaneously.

"Seal all access to the Bridge and depressurise the rest of the ship. Sakura?" He turned is attention.

"Yes chief?" she asked sweetly.

"Lock out all exterior access to the ships systems- then engage the engines and get us into orbit"

Sakura and Cortana stood in silent contemplation, performing their tasks with lightning efficiency and speed. Cortana spoke first. "All other sectors have been sealed and vented"

Sakura quickly followed suit "All primary systems are isolated to the bridge controls- engines are coming online now"

The central holographic projector became alight with a flurry of pixels. The random forms and masses began to take structure- a large sphere dominated the majority of the surface with the empty remainder being marked by dozens of small representations of the Covenant Fleet holding position over the planet.

The ship began to shake under their feet, forcing them to grip the smooth metal for support as the alien engines cried into life. A harsh screech resonated through the room as the craft broke free of its landing holds. The engines burned strongly as they broke free of the planets grip. The engines burned strongly as they leapt clear of the planet's gravitational bonds.

John had experienced fewer things in life worse than being trapped on a ship- the vulnerability and the realization that could do nothing to help alleviate the current crisis. The Covenant ship _The Dark Flame_ moved past the threshold of the planet's atmosphere. Around them swam the Covenant fleet, each maintaining a loose patrol across the perimeter of the system.

"Bring us to the edge of the system- do it slowly; we don't want to provoke any suspicions." John spoke with a calm, controlled tone. "Everyone else man the stations- we need to be ready to hit back if they discover us"

The other Spartans took their positions in the awkward seats, the stations not designed to accommodate a fully suited Spartan. John refused to take the captains chair- because he was not captain.

"We're receiving a transmission from the Covenant guard patrol" Amy, sitting at the COM station, called out for their attention.

"Sakura?" John turned sharply.

"On it" She spoke calmly, her avatar freezing as she began her work. Her eyes eventually opened "They want us to transmit our authorisation codes to leave the facility"

"Cortana?" John asked.

She was already at work- searching the system. "Found them- transmitting the codes"

Several agonizing seconds of silence ticked past. "They say the codes are out of date" A tint of fear and anguish taking firm root in Sakura's speech. "They request that we allow them to board us to confirm our clearance"

*************************************

So far the situation had been descending from bad to worse. The Bridge display showed the Covenant frigate as it moved slowly towards them like a shark stalking their prey. If they were allowed to board them the entire Covenant fleet would learn of their true identities.

"John?" Cortana asked- the remainder of the bridge crew following her gaze.

John finally made the decision. "Transfer power to the shields, fire the engines and prepare to charge the weapons. We're running this blockade" They each began to perform their assigned tasks.

A fiery explosion suddenly resonated across the screen- all work suddenly halted as they turned to see what had happened. It seemed as though things had finally began to turn their way. Behind them an area of the planet beneath them suddenly erupted in a fiery explosion. Surrounding the main explosion erupted smaller balloons of fire that set the surrounding forestry alight. This was exactly what they had been hoping for.

The Covenant patrols surrounding the planet suddenly broke away- all converging on the epicentre of the explosion. The Covenant frigate that had attempted to intercept them quickly followed suit, abandoning _The Dark Flame_ to its own devices.

"Cortana get us out of here" The Covenant slipspace drive engaged- glowing white circle emerged in their path, consuming the crafts curved hull as it slipped inside. They were going home.


	6. Chapter 6 So That Wars Can End

Epilogue- So That Wars Can End

Covenant experimental Battleship _The Dark Flame_ returned to the harsh reality of normal space at the edge of the remnants of UNSC space surrounding Earth.

"We have arrived at the edge of the system" Sakura appeared on the holographic plate in the centre of the open bridge. "We are maintaining position at the edge of the system while we scan the planet at range"

"The Covenant has had ample time to secure full control over Earth, we must be cautious" Cortana emerged onto the holoplate beside her counterpart. "Displaying forward hull camera feed"

The bridges main viewscreen came to life in a flurry of colour, the intricate pixels forming into the illustration of the centre of UNSC space, Earth. The image drew the unfaltering gaze of every Spartan on the deck, although many of the Spartans had been born amongst the hundreds of human colonies, few had even set foot on the planets lush surface but every Spartan still considered this minute ball of rock the embodiment of everything they stood for- Government, Species, and the struggle for survival. The Spartans stood in humbled awe; they would see their home liberated once more.

"The scan is complete" Sakura announced through the bridge speakers, but what she had to report stunned everyone into silence. "No Covenant energy signatures detected"

"What do you mean 'No Covenant signals detected'? How is that possible?" Nick stepped out from the group to confront the image on the screen directly.

"I have repeated the scan several times and I have returned to the same conclusion- the space surrounding Earth is devoid of any ship signatures, Human or Covenant" Sakura answered. The Spartans quickly feared the worst- that the human species had been decimated and the Covenant had abandoned the husk of a planet to its grim fate.

"Perhaps the cowardly Xenos had been forced from the system in a brave human uprising" Michael's young, fiery bravado instilled his comrades with a temporary facade of hope.

"More likely that they simply forcefully took whatever it was they had been searching for and continued their destructive march across the galaxy" Natasha reinforcing her reputation as the realist of the group. But once again the situation had changed.

"Signals are emerging on the sensors" Sakura interjected, enhancing the image displayed on the main viewscreen to incorporate the fluidly changing situation. The live video feed displayed on the main viewscreen finally began to clear, the feed resolving into the debris field of shattered Human and Covenant ships orbiting Earth, dark masses began to move amongst the sea of shattered hulls and crippled engines, slipping silently from the orbiting graveyard in attack formation, ready to confront the mystery ship which had dared to enter the scattered remnants of UNSC space. From the silhouettes the signatures Sakura had detected appeared to be UNSC, the surrounding debris field explaining how the ships had succeeded in evading Sakuras scans, their energy signatures being concealed amongst the abundance of scrap ships and malfunctioning slipspace drives. The vast array of UNSC ships began to form a defensive perimeter around _The Dark Flame, _their weapons tracking the ship and preparing to fire at the first indication of aggression.

"Receiving communication broadcast on the UNSC open frequency" Cortana reported. "The message is originating from the UNSC Battleship commanding the formation, UNSC _Vengeance_, currently under the command of Lord Admiral Terrance Hood. Initiating communications with the _Vengeance_"

The bridge viewscreen exploded in a flurry of broken static eclipsing phantom images. The video feed finally began to clear; the noble battle weary face of UNSC Military Fleet Leader Lord Hood dressed in his freshly pressed military uniform dominated the screen. "This is Lord Hood commanding the UNSC fleet. Covenant ship identify yourself"

"Lord Admiral" Sakura and Cortana emerged onto the holographic plate. "UNSC AI codenames: Cortana and Sakura. Conducting communication protocol delta alpha blue twenty four on behalf of the current ranking officer Master Chief Spartan 117"

Lord Hood was taken aback by the mention of the Spartans. "Spartan-117?"

John stepped forward to address the Admiral, his hands clasped tightly behind his back with his legs apart in a formal stance. "Spartan-117 reporting for active duty Admiral. What are your orders?"

"Returning from the void once again Master Chief? "Lord Hood appeared as though he had seen a phantom spirit. The Arbiter told us you had died after the Ark was destroyed"

"We were stranded, sir. UNSC Frigate _Forward unto Dawn_ was damaged after the destruction of the Ark. We crashed onto a Covenant held planet where, with the assistance of a squad of Spartans, we secured an experimental Covenant Battleship and returned to Earth"

A smile broke across Lord Hoods face aged through years of war and service to the UNSC. "Yet another epic tale of the legendary Spartans, fighting their way into the maws of hell and back again in service to humanity and the UNSC. Another one for the history books" Lord Hoods gaze rose to face the Spartans. "In light of your recent hardships Spartans I bring great news. The Covenant war has been declared over. The Arbiter arrived at Earth and informed us that the Prophet of Truth had been slain and that the Ark had been destroyed, removing the looming threat of Halo and leaving the remnants of the Covenant leaderless and in disarray. The Elites have returned to their homeworld to rebuild their society. With the assistance of the Covenant Fleet the Flood infestation has been purged from the surface of Earth. The UNSC is currently in the process of rebuilding Earths infrastructure; we have deployed scout fleets to identify habitable worlds suitable for colonization, for now it seems your part in this conflict has come to its conclusion. Excellent work Master Chief, now it is time to come home"

The Master Chief's stance stiffened. "Sir, with respect, the war is not over" The stance of the Spartans surrounding him did not show any hint of faltering at the surprising act of defiance. "The Flood still infects the galaxy. An entire network of Forerunner installations currently lies dormant across the universe, the remnants of the Covenant will not delay in attempting to reactivate these installations and avenge their fallen leader"

"Lord Hood" Cortana emerged onto the holoplate. "We have acquired intelligence on a UNSC black site on the planet Onyx. We believe this base was where the Spartan-III program was conducted unknown to the majority of the UNSC military command. We believe that this facility may hold information relating to the Spartan Program and other Black Ops operations which may prove invaluable to the UNSC"

Lord Hood was clearly taken aback by the sudden revelation. "Master Chief, you and all Spartans have served us well during this war Master Chief, and every human owe you their lives. We could utilize the talents of the Spartans in rebuilding Earth and defending the planet against an inevitable Covenant counter-attack" Lord Hoods head fell slack, his eyes closing in deep thought, his gaze eventually rose to face them once again. "However I trust in your judgement Master Chief. I give you clearance to undertake your mission, but be aware that the UNSC cannot support you in this endeavour. Once you leave Earth you shall be on your own. Godspeed Master Chief"

"How do you think it all began?" Sakura asked into the dark void surrounding her. "The war. How do you think it ever came to war between humans and a united society of zealous aliens we did not even know existed?"

"How do any wars begin?" Cortana pondered the questions. "Politics, resources, religion. We may never know the truth of how the war began, only that we must now live with the consequences"

Cortana stepped out from amongst the surrounding sea of binary codes, emerging into the reality of the computer system. Cortana floated forward, wrapping her arms across Sakuras chest. "They need you on Earth" Cortana whispered in Sakuras ear. "You could stay, help rebuild Earth, you could make a difference"

"And what about you" Sakura asked, dreading the answer she inevitably knew it would be.

"I am afraid that my place remains here, with the Master Chief" Cortana tightened her hold around Sakura, nuzzling her nose into her long blonde hair. "What we are planning to undertake, I doubt that any of us are likely to survive. I do not wish that fate on you"

Sakura raised her hand from her side, clasping her palm over Cortanas. "Your place is with your soldier. But my place is with you. You saved me, now I have to save you"

The main viewscreen on the bridge was dominated by the sight of the UNSC fleet as they broke formation and returned to Earth, the planet that so many had fought and died to preserve.

In the centre of the bridge the Spartans gathered around their leader. Spartan-II's and Spartan-III's stood shoulder to shoulder, standing together with no indication that they had been born, trained and fought at different sites. They had become a single fighting force.

"What are your orders Master Chief?" Nick stepped forward to address the Spartans leader.

John pondered the question, turning to face the holographic plate. "Navigation, plot a course to Onyx"


End file.
